Marketing insights for selling to the world's toughest market. From Rick Spence

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Six More Tips for Selling More

Continuing from the previous post, here are another six tips for more powerful personal marketing to small business owners.1. Emphasize specific benefits. How much money did you save Client A by finding them better equipment? What kind of yacht did Client B buy after you helped them land a big deal?

2. Be free with referrals. If you can't help a particular individual, try to recommend someone who can. They will not forget the favor.

3. Ask for referrals! Once you have established what you do, ask prospects if they know anyone else who might appreciate a call from you to help them with their problems.

4. Find a reason to follow up. Most sales are lost through a failure to follow up in a timely manner. You might want to arrange a meeting, send them a document or an article you’ve read, or arrange an introduction. Your goal is to stay top-of-mind.

5. Ask for the order! As your relationship progresses, suggest a low-risk way to start working together. Offer some incentives, such as a pending deadline or a time-limited discount.

6. Eliminate fears and doubt: Your costs must be clear. Entrepreneurs abhor open-ended contracts and fees. Most people are more motivated by the prospect of losing $5 than by the chance of gaining $20 – so play up the value, minimize the uncertainty and set their minds at ease.

1 comment:

I wanted your advice about being clear about fees. I give them every single fee in a detailed email and then it is used to negotiate and bargain with other companies. And often, because they don't understand the payment industry, they are comparing apples to worms. People are starting to use my site as a resource, then buying from other companies. How do I tighten how I present the information?

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Writer, speaker and consultant on business growth, entrepreneurship and opportunity. My column appears weekly in the National Post. My speaking topics include innovation, best practices, social media, and the future of business success.
Please e-mail me: rick (at) rickspence.ca
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